While most popular Louis Vuttion watches come with a version of the brand’s iconic Tambour case (which itself has sub-variants, including the Tambour Curve and the Tambour Moon), there are other attractive options, as well, including the Louis Vuitton Voyager case, which is the base of these two high-end minute repeater tourbillon watches. I will be the first to admit that the Voyager case looks a bit off when pictured off the wrist, but on the wrist, I found it to be delightfully elegant and also very comfortable. While lower-priced Louis Vuitton Voyager watches are available, here we find the Voyager case as the base for some very lavish luxury products in the Louis Vuitton Voyager Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillons.
The two Voyager Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon watches here include one model in 18k rose gold and another in 18k white gold with a case and dial decorated with what I believe are green tsavorites. I particularly like the style of the settings. On the case, baguette-cut stones elegantly emphasize the case shape while tapering off toward the sides, resulting in an attractive visual design. More stones are placed on the deployant clasp and also used as the hour markers on the sapphire crystal dial that sits over a lovely reveal of the complex minuter repeater mechanism. The cases are 42mm-wide, not particularly thick at just 9.7mm, and water-resistant to 30 meters. Other versions of the Voyager Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon exist, including versions with diamond-decorated cases. A lot of the pieces are produced on order only and, accordingly, customers have different decorative and color preferences.
Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps manufacture in Geneva is where these watches are engineered and built. The team there has loads of high-complication experience, including with all manner of tourbillons and chiming systems. While the execution of this movement is very traditional, it is also very beautiful and practical. The movement is known as the Louis Vuitton caliber LV100 movement and it is manually wound and comprised of 342 parts. The movement operates at 3Hz with a long power reserve of 100 hours. The movement includes the time with seconds indicated as part of the asymmetrically-placed flying tourbillon regulation system that pokes through the dial via its own window and is complete with a Louis Vuitton “V” shaped tourbillon bridge.
Of course, there is also the minute repeater complication, activated via the sliding lever of the left side of the case. The minute repeater is a full cathedral-style system, which means it has more notes and sounds more impressive. The movement is designed so that while the hammers and gongs are placed on the rear side (which you can view through the sapphire crystal exhibition window), the rest of the moving parts of the minute repeater are featured on the dial-side of this Voyager dial and offer a fun animation to watch when the minute repeater complication (which chimes back the time to the user) has been activated.
Personally, I really like how the open/skeletonized dial reveals the beautifully hand-decorated movement but is also very legible. Too many watches of this ilk offer impressive presentations but poor utility. I don’t like the idea that you can’t wear your otherwise exotic high-end timepieces for daily time-telling purposes. Given the relatively compact size and practical nature of the Voyager Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon, I would certainly say that this is an otherwise highly exotic watch that is suitable for daily wear (if you are that type of person). I, for one, just love how the case feels on the wrist when admiring the minute repeater mechanism through the dial while reading the time. Note that the repeating horizontal lines on the dial are part of the core Voyager watch product that normally has a solid dial.
Louis Vuitton has a truly prolific volume of both minute repeater and tourbillon watches with a variety of combinations of each. I do enjoy how the brand’s watchmaking division is both playful and serious in its product executions. We’ve covered Louis Vuitton watches of all price points quite a bit, and I think what defines most all of them is a dedication to both traditional watchmaking techniques and strong levels of unique personality. The Voyager case should not be passed over, and you can see just how high-end they can go with these two versions of the Louis Vuitton Voyager Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon. Price for these models is $285,000 USD in the 18k rose gold case and $450,000 USD for the 18k white gold and tsavorites-decorated model. Learn more at the Louis Vuitton website here.
